When the Urus was first unveiled, Lamborghini had some pretty lofty goals for the super-SUV, and one of those included taking it racing. Now, that dream has come true in the Urus ST-X.The vehicle will make its debut at the 2020 Super Trofeo, which is Lamborghinis one-make race starring the Huracan supercar.The four class winners of that series will get a chance to race against professional drivers in a race comprised of only ST-Xes.Lambo says the race for the jacked-up supertruck will be held at a special track, and we dont know about you, but when we hear that an SUV is going racing, were thinking dirt track something akin to a rallycross, perhaps, since that would be pretty cool. To find out, well have to wait until the final round of the 2020 Super Trofeo.Not much has changed to make the Urus race-ready. A FIA-approved roll cage and fire-suppression system had to be fitted for regulations. Larger intakes and a few more vents are what we can see. Better change out those low-profile tires before it hits the track, though.Powering the Urus is a 641-horsepower V8, a modified version of the 4.0-litre unit found in the A8. The Lamborghini also has four-wheel-drive courtesy of Audi, so in our eyes, this is essentially the reincarnation of the old rally
Origin: Lamborghini’s Urus ST-X to get its own race series
Urus
Before the Lamborghini Urus, there was the ‘Rambo Lambo’
SANTAGATA BOLOGNESE, Italy Before Hummer became an American icon for glorious excess, before Jeep started supercharging Grand Cherokees into supercar territory, and positively eons before the Urus was even a twinkle in Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicalis eyes, there was this, the LM002, the worlds first super SUV.It almost wasnt meant to be. Originally concocted as a military vehicle Lamborghini even built a rear-engined HUMVEE-like berm buster called the Cheetah the Rambo Lambo, as it became affectionately known, was never intended to be a civilian vehicle. Lamborghini, in another one of its down cycles, dreamt of military procurement visions of $10,000 toilet seats no doubt dancing like sugar plums in their heads and never intended to peddle the LM (Lamborghini Militaria) to civilians. Indeed, the first prototype, trying to appear practical, was powered by a common, everyday Chrysler V8. Only when it became obvious that armed forces were not going to buy thousands upon thousands of Jeeps from a quirky Italian supercar maker with a reputation for, shall we say, intense maintenance needs imagine, just for a moment, a 19-year-old, fresh-out-of-high-school conscript servicing a Countach in barren Afghanistan for some idea of the ensuing nightmare were dreams of huge Pentagon contracts scuppered. Then those crazy Italians and Lord, let us all give thanks for the lunatics from Lamborghini had a brilliant idea. Why not take the 5.2-litre V12 you know, the one from the mad-as-a-hatter Countach and shoehorn it into the engine bay of their giant Rat Patrol-like desert sled? Then, fit some monster tires, outfit the interior fit for a prince, and then sell the thing for about US$120,000 quite literally a kings ransom in 1986. For a little context here, a Jeep Cherokee of the same vintage started at US$10,336 and was powered by a not-quite-as-inspiring 117-horsepower, 2.5-litre inline four.Everything about the Rambo Lambo was outrageous. With around 450 horsepower, that big, quad-cam V12 would accelerate the LM002 from zero to 100 km/h in about seven seconds and top out at over 200 km/h. Yes, I know the new Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk destroys those numbers and a modern Urus will drive rings around an LM002. But in its day, the Rambo Lambo was the biggest, baddest, most outrageous vehicle on the planet.Everything about the LM002 was outsized. It weighted about three tons, carbon fibre still the stuff of aerospace lore. It ran on the biggest and rarest Scorpion off-road tires 345/60VR17s Pirelli had ever produced. And it stood some 300 millimetres off terra firma, no doubt the result of its military vehicle roots. No other car no, not even the Countach was considered as outlandish. Now that the entire automotive marketplace has gone fully sport-brute, the Rambo Lambo may seem but a quaint anachronism, but 35 years ago, let me assure you, it was the maddest thing on four wheels. Which makes my first few kilometres behind the wheel an absolute surprise. What I thought would be a fussy, bouncy four-wheeled trial-by-ordeal proved sophisticated, bordering on the, dare I say it, modern. Oh, the steering was heavy and more than a tad ponderous. And Lord save us all from those who remember the glory years of manual transmissions: The Lambos was the very definition of a rock crusher, the throws long, gear engagement temperamental, and the clutch worthy of a Schwarzenegger leg routine.But Lordy, the engine was hell, still is a beaut. For all its fearsome reputation, the Countach-sourced V12 is a pussycat. Oh, a quad-cam, 48-valve, 12-pistoned pussycat that just happens to sound ready for a Formula One grid, but a pussycat nonetheless. Yes, even in SUVd LM002 form, the big V12 screams for revs like an unthrottled racecar, but poodling around town, the LM002s 12 pistons are the model of civility, all delicate throttle control and oodles, just oodles of low end torque. Lamborghini LM002 Handout / Lamborghini Indeed, the engine made the crunchy transmission almost bearable, it being easy to skip first altogether and, if you revved it high enough Clara (Lamborghinis long-suffering PR manager), I was just trying to save the transmission you could skip all the way from second to fifth. I realize this will be considered sacrilege, but you could mate the LM002 to one of those ancient two-speed Powerglide automatics you know, the ones where first gear went all the way to 100 km/h and the big 5.2L would barely notice. My God, what a gem this engine is, by far my most impressive walk down internal combustions memory lane to date.The other big surprise again, considering its fearsome rep is that the big Lambos comportment also borders on the modern. Yes, as I mentioned, the steering was Mack truck heavy. But the actual road-holding? Excellent. There was little wander up front despite riding on the biggest front tires I have ever seen body roll was very well contained and, other than having to
Origin: Before the Lamborghini Urus, there was the ‘Rambo Lambo’
SUV Review: 2019 Lamborghini Urus
The 2019 Lamborghini Urus parked outside the Ivey Business School on the University of Western campus. If you aspire to one of these in your garage, an MBA from this place is a good start.Andrew McCredie OVERVIEW A powerful, luxurious beast ideal for the coming Apocalypse PROSA Lambo engine, all-wheel steering, all-wheel drive and decent cargo space CONSFuel economy and rear view visibility is brutal. VALUE FOR MONEYSort of same proposition as a $200,000 A. Lange Sohne wrist watch. WHAT TO CHANGE?Is my salary a reasonable answer? HOW TO SPEC IT?As is “The commute is going to be a cold, snowy and slippery one as the polar vortex has returned to the GTA with a vengeance, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get into work this morning. More details at the top of the hour…”Better take the Lambo!That sentiment uttered just 18 months ago would be pure folly, the very thought of rolling out into snow-megaton in a supercar as absurd as, well, say the Raptors beating the Warriors in six games for the Larry OBrien trophy.But as of February, 2018, driving over snowy hill and dale in a Lamborghini isnt just plausible; its downright sensible thanks to the supersuv Urus. I speak from firsthand experience as a few months ago I drove the mighty beast in and through said polar vortex. And the Bull-badged, all-wheel-drive, five-door not only rose to the challenge, it relished it. In large part thats because the Urus, unlike its two-seat stablemates, isnt built with a race track in mind (numerous YouTube videos notwithstanding). Rather, its designed to take on the elements and the elevation.Now, had I had my choice, I would have preferred to have spent my Urus seat-time in my home province of British Columbia, with skis on the roof, sticky 23-inch Pirellis on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and Alice in Chains on the Bang Olufsen. Instead, I found myself dodging TTC street cars on Queen Street, garbage-laden big rigs on the 401 and boot-clad pedestrians on unplowed side streets in London, Ontario. Despite the icy flatland terrain not once did I feel on sketchy terra firma, mostly due to Tamburo. No, thats not a new, Left Coast meditation app; its the name of the Uruss drive mode selector that fine tunes all manner of whiz-bang mechanical systems, from active torque vectoring to a Torsen central self-locking differential, and from an electrohydraulically controlled planetary gearbox to the four-wheel-steering. That latter feature is borrowed from the Aventador S and varies the rear steering angle up to plus/minus 3.0 degrees according to vehicle speed and driving mode selected.There are six selectable modes, including Strata, Sport, Corsa, Sabbia, Terra and Neve (and yes, with a surname like McCredie, I turned to Google to figure that out). In any language, these modes translated to incredibly precise handling given the road conditions, and on no occasion did I sense that the 641 horsepower V8 twin turbo was going to get me into trouble, such was the traction and control of the Urus. To test this I did some, how shall we say, aggressive driving maneuverers in a snow coveredand empty I should addUniversity of Western Ontario parking lot. The only person more shocked than I was the campus cop who reluctantly had to get out of his car and into the freezing air to ask me just what the hell I was up to. He wasnt impressed when I said, Its all good, grad of 90! He was appeased when I left, though the throttle bark might have had him spilling his Timmies. As impressive as the vehicle dynamics are, the Urus cabin is something to behold. Im not a big fan of most Lamborghini interiors, but I have to say designers and engineers really brought their A-game to this execution. Seats front and back are exceptional and crafted to keep occupants in place under tight cornering; the controls and gauges are in keeping with a luxury and performance vehiclethough with a certain and welcome Italian flare; and the optional Bang Olufsen is so sweet you dont mind when it drowns out the purr, and occasional roar, of the V8.As with any super expensive super vehicle, there are inherent compromises that create flaws, the Uruss two most prominent ones being fuel economy and a rear window slope and design that makes rearview mirror visibility almost non-existent. But rear seat room is great, and the cargo hatch is plenty big to carry golf clubs, luggage or, perhaps more appropriately, a few jerry cans.Supercar purists pooh-pooh the idea of fabled sports car manufacturers retooling their shop floors to crank out SUVs, but as Porsche proved two decades ago, adding a vehicle like the Cayenne to your portfolio not only plumps your bottom line, it provides the necessary wiggle roomand board blessingto continue to build and refine not-so-profitable vehicles like the 911.So how has the Urus affected Lamborghinis sales? Lets just say the Super SUV has super-sized them. Just last week a press release out of
Origin: SUV Review: 2019 Lamborghini Urus
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